[Review] Maple Holistics Silk18 Shampoo + Hair Care Tips

Since I had my son my entire body has gone haywire. I've had to try loads of new things to adjust to my post-baby body. One of the stranger things that happened is my hair has changed texture. Before I had him I could have beautiful Cher hair just using simple products and a quick blow dry.

It was absolutely glorious! It was also something I took completely for granted, thinking that my hair would be like that forever and always.

Now my hair has taken on a bit of a kinkier texture. It doesn't help that Joey likes to use my hair as a rope, an act that typically ends in a lot of breakage and more frizz. To say my hair is damaged would be an understatement.

I've tried several products to try and reverse some of the damage, but I do believe I'm stuck with it until I cut it off!

For now, I'm just trying to make my hair it look better than it really is!

Maple Holistics' Silk18 shampoo, which they've been so kind as to let me sample for review, has been a massive help.

[Review] SNP Otter and Dragon Masks

Masking is one of my favorite things in the world, I just don't get to do it much these days with Joey. I try to wait until he is sleeping to mask. It is my me time.

0.8L has come through again with masks that make my skin sing. This time I got to try some masks from SNP, a Korean cosmetics company. They have an entire line of beauty and skincare items, but I was only aware of their various masks.

I got the opportunity to try the Otter and the Dragon.

They are both fantastically soothing. Dragon is made for soothing and Otter for moisture though I do find that even Otter does a great job soothing any sort of irritation.

[Review] Garnier SkinActive Glow Boost Line

Thanks to PinchMe.com I have been fortunate enough to try several full sized products from Garnier recently.

I'm quite familiar with Garnier. I love their hair products! They tend to smell nice and do good things for my hair.

Their skin care, on the other hand, I've had an iffy relationship with.

They were one of the first drugstore brands that I remember bringing BB cream here to the US. I remember being so excited only to be so let down. On the other hand, their Blackhead Eliminating Scrub is bomb. After a week of using it twice a day my skin looked fantastic.

The products that I got to try are a part of their SkinActive line. That line's biggest seller is the fact that all of the product ingredients are 96% naturally derived. There's no sulfates, dyes, parabens, mineral oil, or silicone. Even cooler is the products are also vegan!

Let's start from the bottom up and begin with the Glow Boost 2-in-1 Facial Mask and Scrub that they call a facial in a jar.

Dairy-Free Me

A few days ago I posted about changes I've made, and now I'm going to share some of my favorite things since going dairy free!

Let me tell you this - dairy likes to sneak in. Things you'd never really think about probably have dairy in them in some way, shape, or form. I can't have most of my favorite snacks anymore, and when I cook I have to make a separate dinner for myself. I haven't had junk food in a month because dairy sneaks into most snack foods.

Finding substitutions has been fun, like a scavenger hunt. I live in a small town. Luckily the shops here are finally getting with the times when it comes to allergens and have been stocking more foods that are safe for those with food allergies and intolerances. Publix, especially, has been amazing when it comes to getting the food that I need. They have always been a step ahead when it comes to organic and once again they are leading the local market when it comes to safe foods.

Milk

The first substitution I made was milk because it was the easiest thing to swap. I've tried to switch several times in the past, I just never found milk that I liked. I have tried soy before and really wasn't happy with it flavor wise. This time I decided to go with Almond milk and I'm so glad that I did. First I tried an unsweetened version from Aldi, followed by a sweetened version of the same brand. I prefer unsweetened.

My current milk

My mother picked up this Silk brand for me from Walmart. It isn't bad, but it does have sweetener in it that I am not fond of. It works well for cereal since most cereals are sweetened anyway, so the sweet fits right in. I have also used it in baking, but I can taste the sweetness. My mother tried some of the biscuits I made and she said she couldn't taste a difference. Maybe because I know what the sweetened version tastes like I know what to look for, thus I'll look for that one particular flavor among the others. What is neat about the about the biscuits is the behavior in the oven. Mine made with almond milk browned to a beautiful golden shade while the other biscuits made with cow's milk were significantly darker.

Lifestyle Changes for Skincare and Mental Health

Hello, friends!

I know it's been ages, but I am still alive! I've been battling with depression and anxiety at an all-time extreme. It leaves me not wanting to do much other than take care of my kid and my house, and that's really about it.

Earlier this month I decided to start making some changes to start better managing my mental health, as well as my physical health.

Diet Changes

The first change was ditching dairy. I've always been lactose intolerant as far as I knew, but some dairy I could consume without much issue. At least I thought there wasn't an issue. I didn't find out that there was more of an issue than I thought after I stopped consuming dairy completely and then accidentally contaminated myself. I have found some alternatives that I really like, which I am planning to share at a later date as I really get into my dairy-free routine.